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Fae Folk
The Fae Folk are creatures of pure magic from the Fae Realm. Culture Categorization and "Courts" ''Disclaimer: This has been directly copy-pasted from my notes and needs cleaning up. '' So y'know how irl European mythos, Fae have courts. I've been working under the assumption that each the Fae in a country functions as a court. Just because if each country has its own Fae Court equivalents then it'll make it easier to organise Fae characters and stuff. Also make it easier to differentiate between the Fae of specific areas when talking about them Hmmm that's a very interesting question because it assumes that the physical boundaries of the Mortal Realm have direct equivalents to "locations" in the Fae Realm. Does the Fae Realm, an entirely incorporeal world of pure magical energy, even have "locations"? And if Fae Gardens are known to move and shift, does the Fae Realm shift over the surface of the Mortal Realm also? Of course, we do have one location that remains consistent: the western forest. So at the very least, there's at least one sort of "landmark" or gateway that members of the Fae could count on matching up to a specific location in the Mortal Realm. In general, I don't think the Fae Folk actually give too much of a damn about mortal politics and land boundaries, unless they are a particularly abnormal individual with a passion or interest that leads them to take a more vested interest in the mortal realm (ocean man, the whole fasithe gang, etc.). Kinda like how a person who doesn't live in the united states can't name all 50 states. I bet Kojima, with his obsession with american culture, could name all 50 states, but he probably doesn't represent the rest of japan in that regard. That being said, just because that isn't how the Fae Folk label themselves doesn't mean that's not a mortal attempt at explaining it. After all, humans have a tendency to project our own social norms on others. It would make sense if people looked back on some of the old legends of fae folk (many of which are nothing but fairy tales) and said "ohhhh, this says they have courts! let's try to categorize them that way!" and the fae are just like "wtf are you talking about sure whatever i dont actually care you mortals are inscrutable enough as it is with your verbal speech and these clunky physical bodies and your insistence on calling us fairies and throwing metal at us" In addition, there is one way that fae folk do clearly "categorize" themselves; physical forms in the Mortal Realm. If they could look like whatever they wanted, why do so many choose to look very similar to each other, while doing such similar things? Brownies are probably the most notable example of this. Like, we go on and on about how there's a whole group of fae folk who have dedicated themselves to tricking a bunch of mortals to join a forest cult for the rest of eternity, but what about the fae folk who have dedicated themselves to being weird cryptid housekeepers for the rest of eternity? Like, you can make an argument that you never see the same Water Horse twice and it's just some random fae who felt like a swim that day, but with brownies it's the same one all the time. And they all look super similar. Like, there has got to be some sort of reasoning behind that. Maybe instead of courts based on location, it's courts based on what they decide to do with all this magic, kinda like guilds? And just like guilds, not all fae folk are part of a court. This would include mean that Fae cults (such as Fasithe) would fall under the definition of a “Court” by Fae standards, though again, they likely do not use that exact term. Language Fae folk in the mortal realm use the most applicable mortal tongue and seem to understand and speak most, if not all mortal languages by default. You aren't keeping secrets from them, not in that way at least. In the Fae Realm, souls are free from the boundaries of a physical shell and communicate on a more fundamental level, just a step back from mind reading. Kinda like how a person can mumble under their breath, speak out loud but to no one in particular, or project their voice to address someone directly, souls in the fae realm do something similar with their thoughts. This, btw, is the same thing that happens when a mage communicates with animals; they are effectively extending a piece of their soul in the form of magic into close proximity with the quasi-soul of an intelligent animal, allowing them to understand the animals thoughts/instincts/emotions/whatever on a fundamental, intrinsic level. Morality Fae Folk are never malicious; they lack the objective moral code that humans tend to cook up in society. They don't see their actions in terms of right and wrong, but if it is fair. That's how magic works after all; it doesn't care what you do with it as long as it legitimately lines up with your focus. Fae Folk don't need a mental or physical structure to exist and use magic (unlike mortals) but their society is still heavily based on that structure in the form of verbal statements taken extremely literally. Implying things and reading between the lines of statements/body language isn't a thing for them because a) they don't always have bodies and b) minds/souls are not nearly as separated from each other in little physical forms like they are in the mortal world, so the passing stay thought would be a lot more obvious between members of the Fae than they would be between mortals. So the Fae only take verbal statements seriously and completely ignore all of those stray emotions and thoughts broadcasting through the Fae Realm. The Fae consider "fair" to mean "you agreed to my explicit verbal communication... so they don't understand when people say their actions are "evil" when they clearly expressed their intent and no one made any moves to avoid or prevent it. Magic Fae magic has an element of "heck idk i guess anything works.” They're bound to a certain extent by the Laws of Magic of the Mortal Realm while hanging out in here with us, but even then, they can bend the rules a bit in ways we don't entirely understand, and likely never will. Magical Focus Even in a physical form in the Mortal Realm, Fae Folk do not need a magical focus, and have at least some ability to shape fundamental aspects of Mortal Realm to their whim (i.e. Changeling bodies, Fae Gardens). As a result, there is an extremely likely theory that The Enemy's magic, which can manipulate the reality of the Mortal Realm (especially souls) without a particular focus, is some corrupted form of Fae Magic. This theory is backed up by an old Feadhainn account called The Ranger's Tale. Shapeshifting Due to the nature of the Fae Realm, the Fae do not need physical bodies to contain their souls except when they enter the Mortal Realm, where they don various and ever-changing physical forms like a mortal might don different colors of tunic each morning. No one knows exactly how they create these physical forms, but many have been lucky enough to see a member of the Fae Folk slip from one form to another, as smoothly as the sun slipping behind a cloud. Based on this information, we know that despite the different names given to the Fae creatures we discover in the Mortal Realm, all Fae creatures are the same sort of being. We wouldn’t call knights a different “type” of human, despite their similar attire, occupation, and use of violence under stress; the same goes for the creatures we have given names to such as “brownie” and “water horse.” One of the most common misnomers for the Fae Folk is "fairies," which is considered a slightly rustic, uneducated term by experts. Thankfully, the Fae do not seem to mind these categorizations, as mortals can be particularly obsessed with categorizing things sometimes. ''Disclaimer: The following paragraph needs to be expanded upon '' This shapeshifting skill also seems to apply to the physical forms of other objects within the Mortal Realm. Specifically, the creation of changeling bodies and the unique natural artistry seen in Fae Gardens. Soul Interference Dead Souls While the Fae prefer to keep to themselves and stay out of mortal affairs, there is one interesting tradition with which they aid the souls of Mortal Realm. When a body is left behind in or near a Fae Garden, a member of the Fae will gather up the magic of the deceased’s soul and bring it with them to the Fae Realm. There, the soul will be offered a choice; to stay within the Fae Realm and become one of the Fae, or to pass on like other mortal souls. Those who decide to stay will retain only a faint memory of their past life. For example, it is said that the Fae who take the form of Brownies in the Mortal Realm are the souls of dead homemakers, caretakers, servants, or farmers who desired to continue caring for their land and/or home as a member of the Fae Folk. Since these souls have already lived a mortal life, the Fae cannot/will not give them the option to return to the mortal world and begin anew. However, for souls that perished before they were able to experience more than the tiniest amount of life, the Fae Folk offer a special gift. Infants are buried in Fae Gardens in the hopes that the Fae will find the infant soul somewhere comfortable for it to spend its eternal rest. It is said that these infant souls who grow up in the Fae Realm will sometimes be given a chance to return to the human realm in the form of changelings, though how they acquire a corporeal and mortal body is a secret that the Fae Folk refuse to share. It's not so much that they aren't allowed to reveal that secret, just that they DON'T. Don't or won't or can't. We aren't sure which. One member of the Fae explained it best by saying "we can't explain it in a way that you would understand." Whether that means they don't think we'll understand it on a cultural acceptance level or a fundamental can't-comprehend-the-metaphysical level, no one really knows. "The Dead" are technically simply souls that have no physical body to hold them anymore and disperse themselves or seek the next life as they choose, right? And animals with a certain affinity for magic (such as cats) can tell when this energy has dispersed itself across a very specific area, (hence the burial traditions). While I don't think there is anyone in the Mortal Realm who would be able to commune or see these dead souls beyond a faint echo of their presence, I AM willing to bet that members of the Fae Folk can. I don't think changelings can, unfortunately. Changelings become almost entirely mortal and loose that weird made-of-pure-magic fae stuff when they are sent back to the mortal realm. However, I'm willing to say that changelings are very attuned to that sort of thing and can sense it better than regular mortals can, but I don't think they can TALK to those spirits/souls since their own soul is constrained to a mortal form. True fae who do not have such limitations can communicate with the souls of the dead as they please, however. Living Souls We know that the Fae Folk can take the soul from a dead body and escort it to the Fae Realm, but what about living souls? The Fae Folk cannot steal the soul from a living being. The soul is too tied up within its physical form and will refuse to be pulled away from their still-functioning body while within the Mortal Realm. However, once you enter the fringes of the Fae Realm, that begins to change. Fae Gardens are technically still within the Mortal Realm, where a member of the Fae cannot remove your soul and take it back to the Fae Realm with them. However, if given the opportunity, a member of the Fae can temporarily grasp at your soul if you are in a Fae Garden, which can overwhelm you with their emotions and incline you to do their bidding. This emotional “aura” is likely the result of the proximity between the Fae Soul and the Mortal Soul, similar to the mechanics behind Animal Communication magic or the non-verbal communication of the Fae within their own realm. Some have even compared this phenomenon to a subtler version of The Enemy’s abilities to manipulate and control others, as well as the mood swings experienced by people under the Influence Curse. Thankfully, most people are not in danger of this soul-meddling, even those who often travel to Fae Gardens. The Fae Folk are always very explicit about their intentions, albeit in their own way, and if you have your wits about you, you can quickly leave the garden before the Fae Folk try anything. However, the risk increases if you travel deep into a Fae Garden, due to the increasing proximity to the Fae Realm, or if you share your name or other significant identifying information with a member of the Fae, which gives them a better understanding of your soul (the source of your identity) and makes it easier for them to grasp. Within the Imagination Dimension, on the other hand, souls are liable to slip away from their physical form, never to return. And if a mortal is ever unlucky enough to be pulled straight into the actual Fae Realm in some horrible, unprecedented act of Fae interference, their soul will be ripped from their body whether they want to or not. The Fae Realm is entirely made of magic, and while the Imagination Dimension is still enough of a middle ground to allow for loosely connected physical forms, the Fae Realm is not. Category:Messy page